“One of the wildest rides in a long time… has everything a horror fan could want… a one-way ticket back to the early Clive Barker projects that leave modern PG-13 studio films in the dust” - Brad Miska, BLOODY DISGUSTING

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MIDNIGHT MEAT TRAIN. Say it again, brothers and sisters. It’s a title that many of you reading this have no doubt had smoldering in some region of your cerebellums for a good number of years. For those unfamiliar, MEAT TRAIN is a much-loved short story by Clive Barker that originally appeared in the author’s BOOKS OF BLOOD collection some 24 years ago. Over the years, rumours of a big-screen adaptation circled like protein-starved vultures, and numerous attempts were made with all stripes of intriguing filmmakers attached, but each project died a merciless death in the pit of what is affectionately known as “development hell.” MEAT TRAIN was translated into every conceivable language, reprinted countless times and even found itself spun into a graphic novel, but a film adaptation proved impossible to realize. Until now. And who, after two decades of failed attempts, emerged as the filmmaker to make it happen? None other than VERSUS/ARAGAMI director Ryuhei Kitamura, making his U.S. breakout with a bloody vengeance!

The plot concerns a photographer named Leon (Bradley Cooper) who takes a late New York subway train and inadvertently photographs a murder. Realizing that he has stumbled upon the patterns of a prolific serial killer (Vinnie Jones!), he becomes obsessed and digs deeper to learn exactly what has been going on with the city’s midnight trains over the years. To avoid venturing into spoiler terrain, let’s just say that what he uncovers is unspeakable. And MUCH nastiness ensues.

Now it must be said, we have invited the film to the festival sight unseen, which is something we rarely ever do. Advance word on this is that it’s ferociously true to Barker’s story, expanding it in inspired ways while bathing in an intense atmosphere and tone that strikes a balance between the nightmarish and the visceral. It’s also reputed to showcase an outrageous degree of violence, so consider yourself warned. We suspect this will be the one time you may find yourself hoping the metros are closed when the film rolls out.